If there is one sector that could benefit from procurement and innovation support, it is ours. Good news for system integrators, AV companies, innovative start-ups facing the virus lockdown: calls and institutional initiatives are coming to promote innovation for mobility, health, cultural heritage and companies.
Redesigning the usability of urban areas, mobility, improving the quality of life and health of citizens, rethinking the use of cultural heritage. This is the objective of the memorandum of understanding signed by the Ministry of Economic Development, the Ministry of University and Research and the Ministry for Technological Innovation and Digitisation. This is the first government policy act, at European level, which recognises public procurement’s ability to stimulate smart and inclusive growth, after the current emergency phase caused by Covid-19.
The three ministries are committed to promoting the use of so-called innovation procurement procedures. Unlike traditional procurement, through innovative procurement the State does not buy standardised products and services already available on the market but stimulates companies and the world of research to create new solutions to meet the most complex social challenges: health, environmental, cultural, training and energy.
Innovative contracts are identified as essential tools to increase the competitive capacity of companies, capable of making a cutting-edge industry grow. These procedures are also a strategic lever for modernising public administration infrastructures and services, as well as increasing investment in public research. MiSE, MUR and MID are committed to supporting public administrations that intend to launch innovative contracts and also to encourage participation by small and medium-sized enterprises, start-ups and research centres in tenders. The Agency for Digital Italy is entrusted with the tasks of promoting and implementing innovation contracts.
It starts with the Smarter Italy program, already started with the MiSE-AgID agreement. The program has an initial financial endowment of 50 million euros and envisages the launch of innovative tenders that aim to meet the needs expressed by cities and villages starting with three areas of intervention: smart mobility, cultural heritage, well-being of people. The calls will be published on https://appaltinnovativi.gov.it/smarter-italy-mise, the platform for ‘innovation procurement’ created by AgID.
We’d also like to point out the Restart Digital 2020 Call, as part of the Digital Solidarity initiative which we also reported in a previous article financed by the Milan Chamber of Commerce of Monza Brianza Lodi to support, through the disbursement of grants for adoption of information and digital technologies and tools, micro and small businesses. The call is aimed at micro and small businesses in the area who need to use IT and digital technologies and tools (Smart Working, Cloud solutions, etc.) and will use vouchers to cover 70% of the expenses incurred and deemed eligible, up to a maximum of 5,000 euros. Applications for contributions must be submitted from 10am on 7th April 2020 until resources are exhausted and in any case no later than 12pm on 30th June 2020 exclusively electronically, with digital signature, via the link: http://webtelemaco.infocamere.it
For information on the announcement click here
